The present invention relates to the reinforcement by cords of a matrix of rubber material. In particular, the present invention relates to the manufacture of tires, and more particularly the manufacture of reinforcement armatures, whatever the place in a tire where it is contemplated to make or use such a reinforcement.
The term "cord" is to be understood in a very broad sense, covering a monofilament, a multifilament, a cable, a twist, or an equivalent assembly, and this whatever the material constituting the cord or the treatment which it has undergone, for instance a surface treatment in order to promote adherence of a cord on a support on which it is deposited or the intimate bonding of the cord with the rubber.
When reference is made in the present specification to lengths of cord, the meaning is to pieces of cord which have been individualized by cutting.
In the present specification, "strip" refers to a semi-finished product having the shape of a ribbon, of relatively slight width, comprising a matrix of rubber material in which reinforcement cords which extend transversely in said strip are embedded, or at least fixed by bonding. The width is considered slight when it is necessary to use more than one strip in a radial section of the tire in order to produce the entire reinforcement in question, for instance at least two strips over the height of the side wall in a carcass, or at least two strips over the width of the belt.
In this technical field, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,906 discloses a method for producing tire belts which consists in removing lengths of cord and depositing them, one after the other, on a rubber base. However, the technique described is not easily adapted to the production of reinforcements other than those used in belts. Furthermore, the means of applying the cord on the tire belts are not capable of operating at a sufficiently high rate to assure satisfactory productivity.